Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a mountainous, landlocked country in South-Central Asia at an important geopolitical location, it connects the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

It is bordered by Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, it has a short border in the Wakhan Corridor panhandle with Xinjiang, an autonomous region of China.

With a surface area of 652,000 km², the country is somewhat larger than the Iberian Peninsula, or slightly smaller than U.S. state of Texas.

Afghanistan has a population of 26.5 million people (in 2015), capital and largest city is Kabul; official languages are Afghan Persian or Dari (50%), and Pashto (35%). The highest point in the country is Mount Noshaq 7,485 m, in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

This page aims to give you a broad overview of Afghanistan’s art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.

Visa Standard Process

Welcome to the visa information page. On this page you will find information about the type of visa and visa application requirements for travel to Afghanistan. It is important to check the visa types and make sure you are applying for the correct visa.

Please look over the instructions, complete the form with the correct information, and send it to the Consular Office with the required attachments in person or by mail. Please note that if you choose to send it by mail or if you are submitting an application on someone else’s behalf, the application must be notarized.

Also please note that our Consular Office is in a separate location from the Embassy. Scroll to the bottom for the Consular Office contact information.

General Visa Requirements:

Applicants for an Afghan visa, regardless of the type of visa, are required to obey the laws of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Currently, the standard visa processing time is 4-5 business days but this may vary on an individual basis.

The Visa Application Form must be physically signed. No electronic signatures will be accepted.It is important to fill out all of the required forms entirely and submit all required documents. Doing so will minimize the processing time and prevent further delay. Download one of these visa application forms:

If you are applying for a visa by mail, please include a prepaid, self-addressed return envelope, large enough for the return of your passport and documents. You may use certified or registered mail, or any other traceable mailing service or courier to ensure the safety of your passport.

Foreign nationals who have entered Afghanistan on an Entry Visa or a Work Visa are eligible to work. This category of individuals must obtain a work permit from relevant agencies after entry to Afghanistan. Issuance of a visa to those foreign students who intend to travel to Afghanistan is based on agreements and on a reciprocal basis, after the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan.

All foreign nationals can obtain an Afghan visa, except in the following cases:

When the individual is banned from entering Afghanistan by the Afghan authorities;

When the individual has not completed the previous ban period;

When the individual has been expelled from Afghanistan for an unknown period of time;

When the individual is suspected to disrupt security, disrupt general order, is suspected of moral corruption, or lacks respect for the rules of Islam;

In specific situations when the authorities at the consular and political missions of Afghanistan abroad, based on sound reasons, deem it unfavorable to issue a visa to a certain individual;

When there is a risk of spread of a contagious disease;

When a high-ranking authority has decided to deny the visa.

Enclose a passport with at least 6 months validity remaining and two blank visa pages.

If you are a U.S. alien resident, provide a copy of your Green Card, copy of original, or valid alien registration card or valid U.S. resident visa.

For official visits, please contact your employer to send a letter of introduction with the purpose of your visit to The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan for issuance approval.

If visiting family or friends, please write a letter of introduction stating whom you intend to visit in Afghanistan.

If tourism is the purpose of your visit, please state in detail the nature of your tour and places you intend to travel in Afghanistan.

Media personnel/journalists are required to provide an introduction letter stating the purpose, duration and places they intend to visit in Afghanistan. (Media journalists must contact the Press Office of the Directorate of Media Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at: Char-rah e Malik Asghar, Shah Mahmood Ghazi Wat, Kabul, Afghanistan)

If employment is the purpose of your visit, an official letter of introduction from your employer, sponsoring government or organization stating the purpose and duration of your trip is required. Please also include any sponsorship information and a financial guarantee for expenses that will be incurred in Afghanistan. In individual cases, you may be required to provide additional documents.

Note: Those subcontractors, who work under the main contractors in Afghanistan, should provide an introduction letter from the main contractors or ratify their introduction letter by their main contractors to obtain one-year multiple entry visas.

Applicants applying for a Work Visa should be below the age of retirement (65) and must provide their educational documents along with the visa application, invitation or introduction letter from the employer company in Afghanistan (including passport information, purpose of travel and duration of stay of the applicant). Additionally, they should also have a confirmation letter from Consular Affairs Directorate-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the I.R. of Afghanistan.

Those who intend to travel to Afghanistan for investment and business purposes can apply for an Afghan Business Visa by providing the following documentation:

Introduction or permission letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chamber of Commerce, or other related official bodies

Work permit and business license

Address of the company

Documents providing the type of commercial activities, payment of taxes and bank account number

In exceptional cases, a health clearance letter indicating that the person is not suffering from any contagious diseases, especially Ebola, will be required.

Enclose the appropriate visa application fee (must be paid in U.S. dollars with either a money order or cashier’s check payable to the Embassy of Afghanistan).

Visa Application Fees: Please note, the visa application fee will change depending on the type of visa you apply for.

U.S. Passport holders: $160.00

Please note: All U.S. government and NATO contractors obtaining a visa for the first time will be required to pay an additional $200.00 for a one year multiple entry visa (total $360.00).

Other countries’ passport holders: $100.00 For Working Entry Visa

Other countries’ passport holders: $80.00 For Tourist and Visit Visa

India and Pakistan passport holders: free of charge

Diplomats, Officials and UN Passport holders; free of charge

Information for U.S. Passport Holders:

Effective January 1, 2015, holders of U.S. passports applying for a visa to Afghanistan will be eligible for multiple-entry visas depending on the purpose and significance of the trip with a standard fee of $160.00 based on reciprocity and subject to change.

Note: Duration of visa (one month, up to 12 months) and number of entries is based on reciprocity and the sole discretion of the Afghan embassy/consulate. It should be understood that a visa is not considered to be a right, and if individuals are not found eligible or do not have adequate supporting documents, issuance of visas will be denied or suspended without provision of any further clarification.

Types of Visa:

According to the Afghan travel and residency law for foreign nationals, the following types of visas are available.

Diplomatic visa (DV)

DV is issued for the holders of Diplomatic Passport.

Official visa (OV)

OV is issued by the Afghanistan Missions abroad to the foreign nationals who hold Service and Special Passports or UN Laissez-Passer. It can also be issued to those who enter the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for conducting official assignments in the diplomatic and consular missions of foreign countries, institutions, agencies or international organizations. Issuing visa for the staff of relevant authorities having Service Passport is free of charge, but for others, it will be issued based on reciprocity.

Business Visa (BV)

BV is issued to the foreign nationals who enter into the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for the purpose of business, investment, marketing, commercial transactions, guardianship, liquidation, handling of corporate affairs, and commercial property; selling and buying property; participation in exhibitions; commercial events and other similar issues.

Multiple BV is valid for up to one (1) or three (3) years and it can be issued by collecting a specific visa fee and based on the following conditions:

Introduction of BV applicant by the Chambers of Commerce or other competent authorities of the country to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

Providing work permit and description of business activities;

Providing the relevant company address (in Afghanistan, or in the country of origin)

Providing bank account

Note; BV can be issued inside Afghanistan to those applicants that have Business Passports and have been introduced by the Ministries of Commerce, Economy, Mines, Finance, Transport, and Chambers of Commerce and other relevant government bodies to MoFA. Business Visa shall be extended through the Ministry of Interior for up to one (1) or three (3) years with multiple entries. For investors of neighboring or other countries, this type of visa is issued based on reciprocity or bilateral and multilateral agreements concluded with them.

New amendments are added to a part of the Travel and Residence Law for Foreign Nationals in Afghanistan:

Article 1: Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Article 10 and part 1 of paragraph 1 of the Article 27 of the Travel and Residence Law for Foreign Nationals in Afghanistan is published in the Official Gazette no. 1185 on 11/7/1394 (3/Oct/2015), and is amended in the following manner

Article 10: (2) Multiple entry visas which have been mentioned in paragraph 1 of this article authorized Afghanistan’s missions abroad to issue three months to three-year multiple entry visas for foreign nationals.
(3) Business visas (multiple) are extended for up to three years inside the country by the Ministry of Interior Affairs upon the request of the business visa holder and letter of recommendations from the relevant government institutions.

Article 27: Business Visa: Three-month multiple visas for US $40; Six-month multiple visa for US $80; one-year multiple visa for US $160; two-year multiple visa for US $250; and three-year multiple visa for US $300 or equivalent sums in local currency (Afghani). For extending a business visa for up to one year, US $15 or equivalent sums in Afghani will be charged for every month.

Upon Arrival Visa Procedure for Foreign Business People and Investors:

The upon arrival visas will be issued for the foreign business people and investors upon their arrival at Hamid Karzai International Airport through the representatives of Border Police of Ministry of Interior Affairs of Afghanistan and after the evaluation of the required documents in collaboration with the MoFA representative at the airport. This visa will be issued in accordance with the amendment of Article 27.

The required documents are as follows:

To provide a notarized copy of a valid business license with at least six-month validity

To submit a new notarized bank statement with having a minimum of US $100,000 deposit

To complete the visa application form with providing a recent photo

Providing the exact address of the company along with the valid commercial document in which the address of the company is cited

Visa payment fees are paid in accordance with the Article 27 of the Travel and Residence Law for the Foreign Nationals in Afghanistan. It is only applicable for issuing a business visa for business people and investors

Providing an original copy of the business letter from the company

Providing the Police Clearance or No-Objection Certificate

Working Entry Visa (WV):

WV is issued to employees, doctors, teachers, trainers, experts, engineers, pilots, the staff of ground transportation and foreign technical workers based on need and previous invitations for the purpose of working at Diplomatic and Consular Representations, UN Offices, International Organizations; Government and Non-Governmental Organizations; National and International Agencies. The WV Processing Fee is as follows:

The required documents are as follows:

For one (1) month, Single Entry is US $100;

Extension for one (1) year is US $50 per month or payable in local currency and applicable through Ministry of Interior

To complete the visa application form with providing a recent photo;

Extension of WV is permitted based on the request of the inviting departments and is processed through MoI along with a letter from MoFA

Tourist Visa (TV):

TV is issued for foreign nationals who are interested to visit Afghanistan individually or with a group for the purpose of visiting natural, tourist and historic sites or their relatives. TOV is issued by the Afghan Missions abroad. The validity of this type of visa is for ninety (90) days and the period of stay would be for thirty (30) days, which can be extended only once by the MoI with the consent of the Afghan Tourism Department.

Visit Visa (VV):

VV is issued for foreign nationals, who are interested to participate in sports competitions, exhibitions, visiting their relatives and friends, and conduct pilgrimage to holy sites in Afghanistan.

Student Visa (SV):

SV is issued by the Afghan Missions abroad to the foreign students who intend to study, work and conduct research within Afghanistan Government and private educational/academic institutions. If a student has a government scholarship, the SV fee will be charged based on reciprocity.

Upon Arrival Visa (UAV):

UAV is issued within Afghanistan International Airports and must accompany the request of the UN Offices and International Organizations along with a written approval by MoFA. Per the request of Visa Applicant, UAV could be changed to one of the visas set forth in articles 9, 10, 11, 16, and 17.

Crew Visa (CV):

CV is issued to the crews of foreign airlines (pilot, engineer, flight attendants and air technicians) who enter the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The validity of CV is for six (6) months with the number of the entry in exchange for US $600 or equivalent in local currency. CV shall be extended by MoI for a period of one (1) month to one (1) year based on the request of the relevant airline to the Independent Directorate of Civil Aviation and an official letter from MoFA.

Transit Visa (TSV):

TSV is issued to those foreign nationals who pass through Afghanistan with a valid visa or travel document. The validity of TSV for air passengers is for one (1) month and three (3) days of stay and six (6) days for those who travel by land. TSV is issued based on mutual agreement and reciprocity with the right to enter once (1) or twice (2). The visa fee for Single Entry is US $80 and for Double Entry is US $150.

Residence Visa (RV):

RV is issued to the foreign nationals who enter the territory of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with a visa set forth in articles 9, 10, 11, 14 and 16 of this Law, and continues to reside in Afghanistan. RV is issued by MoI for one (1) year with the right to enter Afghanistan three (3) times.

Transit Visa (TV):

TSV is issued to those foreign nationals who pass through Afghanistan with a valid visa or travel document. The validity of TSV for air passengers is for one (1) month and three (3) days of stay and six (6) days for those who travel by land. TSV is issued based on mutual agreement and reciprocity with the right to enter once (1) or twice (2). The visa fee for Single Entry is US $80 and for Double Entry is US $150.

Exit Visa (EXV):

EXV is issued in the following cases to the foreign nationals who want to exit from Afghanistan:

If his/her visa has not been extended or exit has occurred after the expiration of the visa period;

If he/she is banned from traveling by court order, and after lifting the travel ban, he/she will be issued EXV;

If he/she entered Afghanistan territory and was sentenced to prison, whereupon serving his/her prison time he/she will be issued EXV; and

EXV is valid for six (6) days with a written letter from MoFA through MoI